British autotest champion David Mosey made the best individual performance in the final round of the Larkspeed Inter-club team championship at sunny Melbourne on Sunday to round off the series for Ilkley Motor Club.

First run under the Shell banner in 1972, the series has never really faltered in its original conception. America domiciled Menston man Peter Croft had a hand in the series while now the co-ordinator is Queensbury's Carl Davis. Ilkley took their 13th title on Sunday, the club's seventh consecutive championship, thanks to the team managership of past and present officials such as current manager Richard Wood, from Shipley, who in his first year has steered his team to success.

The format at Melbourne was 14 timed to the second tests, Mosey was the fastest followed by former national champion David Haigh. Chris Leeming and wife Lorraine won the day for Sporting Escort, Adelle Mosey was fourth in the Ilkley scoreline with her husband, Otley's Graham Hepworth was third in his class where Ben Morten finally beat his very experienced father Steve. They were the mainstay of organisers Alwoodley Motor Club who ran the meeting like clockwork.

Carl Davis will now work out the final results for the lower placings in the series.

Dougie Lampkin stepped into unknown territory on Thursday night in Gerona where he had a new, temporary, minder in the form of extrovert former Spanish champion Amos Bilbao.

The light hearted Montesa team rider has livened up many a dull contest with his legendary party tricks.

Amos, he comes from Bilbao as well, was in the role of minder in the absence of Dougie's cousin James.

"It was not easy tonight, there were very few places to create an advantage. The waterfall sections was too steep and slippery, no one got up it, I lost all my marks on that one.

Considering it was the first time Amos has been with me I think we worked well, especially as I did not ride in the qualifiers, only straight into the grand final. James will be back as usual next week."

Dougie Lampkin commences his world title defences at the beginning of January with ten indoor arena events, the first of which is at the Sheffield Arena with others scattered around Europe.

The action was hot at Elvington, road races on the airfield and almost alongside the west end of the runway Pickering Motor Club ran a moto-cross meeting about 200 yards from the tarmac event. Leeds R6 Yamaha rider Bret Crossley had a great day with two wins, four seconds and a third place out of eight rides but the top rider was Skelmersdale's John Nilsill with six wins, a second and third riding his 600cc Honda. Another Leeds racer, 125cc Honda specialist was Stuart Gregory who managed three second places in four races that were the hottest this year with just inches separating the leading group.

Two hundred yards away, at the Pickering club's moto-cross, Skelmersdale moto-crosser and farmer James Hodgkinson was doing what he does best, shifting earth, with the back wheel of his 500 Honda moto-cross bike winning four out of five expert races. A flat tyre stopped his winning run.

At the West Leeds trial at Post Hill Henry Moorhouse was the winner from Sam Ludgate and James Dabill. The Cookridge youth was the best A Class rider from Dane Sherwin and Guiseley's Edward McIntosh. Well over a hundred riders competed.

by Barry Robinson